How to Know if an EHS Software System Will Address Future Needs

“We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there.”– Charles F. Kettering

Organizations involved in an EHS software selection process should take into account future needs as well, in addition to immediate, pressing ones. This ensures that they can leverage the benefits of their EHS platform for multiple business processes and use cases in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

EHS software buyers face a risk of selecting an EHS software vendor that will not meet future needs because the vendor offers a solution with functionality gaps or a fragmented solution built through acquisitions. At best, they will lose valuable time evaluating the wrong vendors. At worst, they will select the wrong vendor and have a serious case of buyer’s remorse because the system will not expand well.

The report is the gold standard for the benchmark of EHS software vendors because of its sophisticated and structured methodology, evidence-based assessment, and objectivity. It compares 20 leading EHS software vendors by evaluating and scoring each vendor for 173 functionality criteria.

By using the report, you can check for the following two key attributes that indicate whether an EHS software solution is able to successfully address both present and future needs:

Great Breadth and Depth of Functionality

If “the devil is in the details”, then pages 27-30 of the Verdantix report offer a hell of a lot of useful information. When evaluating EHS software vendors, look at their scores for key functionality groups listed on pages 27-30. Look beyond functionality addressing immediate needs, and include also functionality that may be relevant in the future.

For example, you may look at scores for “Safety Management” because that is your immediate need. But look also at scores for related areas such as incident management, risk management, etc. Another option is to read the individual vendor profiles located in the second half of the report. They can help you identify the vendors that offer a one-stop-shop covering multiple EHS process needs and workflows, and with no functionality gaps.

If you prefer a general summary regarding breadth and depth of functionality, and a direct comparison between vendors, look at the green quadrant graphic on page 26 and see where vendors are placed for “Capabilities” (represented by the vertical axis).

An Integrated Platform Built Organically

If you want to know where an EHS software vendor is, and where they are headed, study their history. Vendors fit in one of the following two categories: 1) Those with a unified, common and integrated product architecture and database who have built functionality organically; 2) Those who have added functionality through acquisitions, resulting in fragmented solutions.

Vendors that fit in the first category are better equipped to address future needs for many reasons. First, they offer a common user experience across the board, which makes it easier to deploy additional functionality. Second, they facilitate data capture, reporting and analysis, and eliminate data silos, by virtue of having a common database and consistent code throughout the platform. Finally, as a result of the previous two items, integrated platforms have better scalability. Read the vendor profiles in the second half of the report to learn the history of vendors and identify those with an integrated EHS platform.

Now that you know more about the two key attributes to look for when evaluating EHS software, click on the image below to download the Verdantix report and get started:

About the author

Jean-Grégoire Manoukian is Content Marketing Manager at Enablon. He manages Enablon Insights and the company’s social media activities, and writes about various EHS, Risk and Sustainability topics. He has more than 18 years of professional experience, including many years as a product manager for chemicals management and product stewardship solutions. He also worked in the telecommunications industry as a product marketing manager. Jean-Grégoire has dual French and Canadian citizenship, and likes to stay informed on the latest trends and developments from both sides of the Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @JGM_Enablon

Enablon, a Wolters Kluwer business, is the world’s leading provider of Sustainability, EH&S and Operational Risk Management Software. More than 1,000 global companies and 1 million users rely on Enablon software solutions to manage their environmental and social performance, minimize risks and improve profitability. Enablon offers the most comprehensive platform in the industry, and is consistently recognized as a global leader and visionary.